Freedom Day
by newsiesgirllaces
Summary: A young princess has her kingdom about to be snatched away from her. She gathers warriors to help her keep her kingdom's freedom.
1. Chapter 1

**So the first two chapters may not have much disney in there, but i'll get to it i promise! Please tell me what you think and enjoy! :)**

**L.L.A.P (live long and prosper)**

**~Laces**

**P.S. I DO NOT OWN ANY DISNEY CHARACTERS OR PLACES!**

Chapter 1: Freedom Day

"Xantra Clio Clara Muse Piano Fortissimo!" a voice exclaimed. The young woman who the voice was referring to let out a groan as she batted her light purple eyes open. Her mother stood over her, the typically cheerful face was full of worry.

"Yes Ma?" the young woman inquired with a yawn.

"You are going to be late for your speech at Freedom Day." her mother answered. Xantra's (or as her friends called her, Xan) eyes widened and she sprung out of her bed, but fell, tripping on the vibrant blanket that was wrapped around her.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she inquired as she stumbled to her feet.

"Your little sister needed help, and I figured that you could get up by yourself." her mother explained and Xan looked down at her feet, feeling ashamed. She was sixteen and yet she felt more like a five year old. Her mother noticed this and perked up.

"But we're not late yet. Get ready quickly." she smiled, then hurried out of the room. Xan rushed quickly to her wardrobe.

She pulled out a dress that was a light green with complimenting dark green sleeves, boots, and belt. She then grabbed her crown. A silver stand of metal that had a purple stone in the middle that matched her eyes. She slicked her usually wild brown hair back and then quickly changed into her cloths.

She hurried downstairs where she was greeted by her sister, who was looking _very _annoyed. She was wearing her blue dress and a crown similar to Xan's but hers had a blue stone to match her blue eyes instead of a purple one. Her sister's name was Annarette.

"Xan what took you so long? What if we were late for your speech. There'd be so many disappointed people!" she said sadly. She worried often unlike most thirteen year olds. Always stressed about the future and what would happen, while Xan lived more in the moment.

"Settle down Ann, we're not late and the people will be fine. C'mon, cheer up. It's Freedom Day." Xan laughed. Ann slowly smiled and hugged her sister.

Xan was right. It was Freedom Day and everybody should be celebrating instead of worrying, and that included Ann.

Xan, Ann, and their Mother walked quickly out of the palace and down the street to make it to the theater, where Xan was to make her speech.

The houses on the street were vibrant blues, reds, greens, and yellows. Music played from all around in joy and street performers danced around.

"Hey Xan!" a voice exclaimed. The princess looked over to see her two friends, Nyra and Krystal dancing on the streets.

Nyra was the best dancer throughout the kingdom. She could do any style with complete perfection and could think up choreography for music in a heart beat. Krystal was her apprentice who was learning how to become one of the best dancers around.

The two girls were an odd pair to see together dancing. Nyra had very dark chocolate skin, with long curly black hair. She wore tight purple outfits that showed off her curves and made her sparkle when she danced.

Krystal, on the other hand, had short white hair that was completely straight. She was very pale and she often wore loose material. However, their visual contrasts made their dancing together that much more interesting.

"Hi guys." Xan smiled. "What are you two doing?" Krystal and Nyra walked in step with Xan.

"We were practicing our dance for the Freedom day festival after your speech." Nyra informed.

"Yeah, and speaking of which, shouldn't you already be at the theater?" questioned Krystal, raising an eyebrow.

"I accidentally slept in, but I'll be there on time. I can't wait to see your dance at the festival."

"Honey, hurry up!" Xan's mother exclaimed from further ahead.

"I gotta go, but I'll see you two later at the festival." Xan smiled and ran off to reunite with her mother and sister.

They were in front of the majestic theater. It was huge and could fit every person in the kingdom. The building was designed by the best architects and it had beautiful carvings of angles on the ledges and stain glass windows portraying pictures of flowers, and nature scenes were on the sides.

"Are you ready for your speech?" Ann inquired as they briskly walked into the theater.

"I would hope so. I have it all written down right here." Xan held up a piece of paper proudly and Ann squinted as she tried to read it.

"Is it in another language? I can't read a word." she stated and Xan simply shrugged.

"No. But you know me with my hand writing." she half giggled. Ann rolled her eyes.

"I swear Xan, you'd have more things published if people could understand what you write."

"Well that's why it's a speech. I read it to people instead of them reading it for themselves."

Music blared as The Queen and her Daughters walked gracefully onto the stage. The music then died down as the Queen stepped foreword to speak.

"Good Morning my people and Happy Freedom Day." the crowd in the theater roared with cheers.

"Freedom Day," the Queen continued once the cheers died down. "is to remember the day when we no longer had to be part of the Bardus people. But we became our own people. The people of Gratis. Today to speak about this wonderful day of our freedom, is my eldest daughter, your future Queen, Princess Xantra." The crowd cheered again, and Xan stepped up, holding her piece of paper.

"People of Gratis." she began with a smile. "This day is always full of Joy. However, we must remember our past. Our days before our freedom, during the war. The Bardus people had a harsh rule over us. Our creativity was thrown aside. To sing was forbidden, if you did your tongue was to be burned. The consequence of dancing would be the removal of your feet. If you wrote anything fictional, you were forced into labor camps until your hands bled making it so that you could no longer use them. If you tried to express yourself outside of their code, you would be thrown in jail. Things we do everyday would be a crime." the crowd was silent.

"However, our people could not stand for this. We knew that we needed to fight for our creativity. A group of strong people formed a resistance and soon war broke out between the people of Bardus and the people of Gratis. Months turned slowly into years as the war dragged on, but we continued to fight! We had spirit. And then finally, this very day ten years ago, we were granted our freedom! We were free to dance, and sing and create. Our skills were put to use and we thrived." she paused and took in a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, there were casualties, many of them. Brave men and woman died trying to give us the freedom that we deserved. One of these men being your King, my father." after a pause, Xan's face brightened and she beamed a smile.

"But we can not let those who died be forgotten. Be thankful for the rights we have, and thank the men and woman who gave their lives for us every night. Freedom Day is not only a remembrance to our salvation, but also a remembrance to brave warriors who served us. We are the people of Gratis and we will forever be the people of Peace and Creativity never to be oppressed again!" The crowd cheered and Xan bowed to her people and stepped back in line next to her mother and sister.

The Queen put a hand on her daughter. "Good job." she whispered with a smile and then looked out at the people. "And now, let the Freedom Day Festival begin!"

The Kingdom was full of rejoicing as people ate delectable pastries and were entertained by singers and dancers. Bright colors flew through the air. Bright greens, oranges, pinks, blues, reds, and yellows were everywhere.

Small children laughed and giggled as they played in the streets, drawling with sidewalk chalk, dancing to the music or playing their instruments.

Xan sighed in content as she watched her friends and people dance merrily throughout the streets.

She could feel hear eyes welling up slightly, but took in a deep breath.

"Oh Dad, if only you could be with me now to see this." she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Two: King Faraday

"It's truly barbaric my son." groaned a man in a fancy gray suit and a black tie. He had dark brown eyes that verged on being black, and his black hair was already turning gray. The sent of heavy cologne was in whatever space he occupied. His name was Faraday. King Faraday, ruler of Bardus.

To his right was his son, Prince Vires. A strong seventeen year old in a black suit. His charcoal colored hair was neatly combed back, out of his face.

"What is father?" he questioned in a calm voice, showing hardly any emotion besides a hint of curiosity. Faraday groaned again.

"The People of Gratis. They are celebrating their preposterous "Freedom Day" as they call it. They shout to the sky in different pitches, bang loudly on objects and throw their bodies around. It makes them look like barbarians." he explained to his son.

"But father, they live their life, and we live ours. They are barbarians and we are civilized, what is the harm?" Faraday furrowed his eyebrows at his son's inquiry.

"The harm is that their barbaric ways are starting to spread across the land. The police have seen an increase in fiction writing. The jails and the working camps are almost full." he explained then took a deep breath. "But it is all going to stop soon."

"How so father?"

"I've sent a strike team to crash their celebration and bring news of what is to happen. They will surrender to us on the very day they were granted freedom ten years ago. If they refuse, we will attack them with force. They have no trained military, and so they will crumble quickly." Faraday smiled a twisted smile that made even his son want to cringe.

"Have I ever told you about the Gratis' peoples King?" he questioned to his son.

"No father." Vires answered. Faraday chuckled.

"He was a fool. He was the one who started the fight for freedom for his people. However, two days before we granted those barbarians freedom, he died at my hands. He made the brainless decision to attack me in order to get his precious liberty." Faraday wrinkled his nose in disgust at what he was about to say. "Now their people is led by his wife. A stupid woman." Faraday then unwrinkled his face and laughed whole heartedly as his son watched.

"The Gratis people are going to soon discover why women make such weak rulers."

~*~*~*~*~ At The Kingdom of Gratis~*~*~*~*

Xan watched as her sister sung happily, her voice singing every note of the song perfectly. Next to her sister, Nyra and Krystal were dancing along to her song. Their bodies moving in syncopated harmony.

Flag twirlers threw vibrantly colored flags up into the air. Artisans were on the corner, selling their art.

"Princess Xantra! Princess Xantra!" a small boy exclaimed, running up to Xan. He looked to be about ten years old with red hair and his face was covered in freckles.

"I really liked your speech." he smiled, looking shy all of a sudden. Xan smiled at the boy.

"Thank you young man." she then heard a song starting to play on a drum. Her foot immediately started to tap to the rhythm and she grinned, knowing that she had to dance.

"Want to dance with me?" she questioned the small boy and he nodded eagerly. She grasped his hands, and the two spun around as they danced in the crowd.

She wasn't as good a dancer as Nyra and Krystal, but she could keep a rhythm. She and the boy laughed as the spun around in a circle, but then a scream erupted from the crowd and the music stopped.

Xan ran to where she heard the scream to see her mother on the ground, with a dagger in her shoulder. Ann was hovering over her, holding her mother's hand. In front of her mother were several men dressed up in festive garbs but their faces were stone cold and serious. Xan knew that these weren't her people.

"Ann, get Ma some help." Xan whispered, then faced the men.

"Solders from Bardus, I presume." she growled trying to keep a brave face, even though she was worried about her mother's health.

"Are you Princess Xantra?" one man questioned.

"Yes." she answered with a firm nod of her head.

"Unless you want your people to suffer what happened to your mother or worse, I suggest that you come with us." a solider informed. Xan reluctantly nodded her head and looked back at Ann.

"I'll be back, and help Ma." the solders shoved Xan along to get her moving, but she shoved back and walked at her own pace.

They mounted their horses outside the kingdom's bridge and the leader held Xan tightly as they rode the horses, making sure that she wouldn't escape.

She reached the Bardus castle, a gray stone building with pointed spires that looked anything but friendly. Xan shook slightly at the sight. She hadn't been in Bardus since she was six, during the war and all her memories of the place were never good ones. She remembered everything as if it happened only minutes ago.

"_Ma! Ma!" a young Xan screamed as she was being pulled out of her home by palace soldiers._

"_She's just a child! Please! She still is learning the rules but she will learn! I promise! Just don't take her away!" Xan's mother pleaded as other guards had to hold the woman back from her child. _

"_Please Ma! I don't wanna go!" Xan sobbed, but was carried off by the men and taken to a working camp._

_The moment she entered she felt cold and scared. She looked around and noticed people of all ages with scars all over their body chipping off pieces of boulders. _

_The soldiers dropped Xan off in front of a boulder bigger then she was, and the working camp's over looker glared down at the girl._

"_You will take this rock," the man stated as he handed her a rock the size of her hand. "and break this boulder until it is pebbles by nightfall." he stated. Xan looked at the giant boulder. It would be impossible to have the task completed by nightfall._

"_What if I can't finish it by then?" she inquired. The man placed his hand on a wimp that hung on his belt. _

"_I'll let you find out." he smirked. He spat on the ground and walked off, leaving Xan with her task._

_She had to hit the rock hard against the boulder to even make a dent. After hours of working her hands were bleeding from the rock. She did not finish by nightfall._

_She had gotten whipped that night. _

_She spent three weeks in that camp, watching as others around her starved to death and get whipped. She felt tired and fatigued, and everyday it would be the same thing. She would work until she bled and then get whipped._

_One night while she was lying in her tent, she could hear a commotion outside. She wanted to see what was going on, but her muscles ached. She was too tired to even move. _

_Footsteps entered her tent and she could feel herself being lifted up. _

"_Oh Xantra." whispered a man's voice and he hugged her gently. "It will be alright. You're safe now." _

Her hands slightly ached from remembering when she was sent to one of the working camps and was forced to do the heavy labor at age five and she was finally out of Bardus when she was six. She was fortunate that her father was able to liberate the camp and take her out.

She walked with the men into the castle and to the throne room. There sat King Faraday, and next to him, Prince Vires.

"What do you want Faraday? My people were celebrating peacefully and haven't bothered you since the war." she growled.

"My, my. You really are uncivilized. I don't even get a polite hello from the Princess?"

"One of your guards stabbed my Mother, I have the right to be upset and skip pleasantries. Now, what do you want?" she repeated with teeth clenched. Faraday managed to keep a cool head.

"Please sit with me in the dinning area for some food and refreshments while we talk about political issues." he smiled as he walked from his throne up to the princess, beckoning to the room next door.

Xan knew that the only way to get information out of Faraday, was to cooperate with him, so she accepted his offer to sit and discuss things in the dinning area.

Faraday sat from across the table while Vires sat next to her. There were guards posted at each door, making Xan nervous, but she took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

"So, Princess Xantra, how does Bardus look since the last time you were here? Were you five?" he inquired as drinks were placed in front of each person at the table.

"I was six." Xan answered sternly. "And it still is a terrible place. Besides, most of my memories are of the working camps, not Bardus." she informed.

"Ah yes, your nasty habit of creating fictional stories." Faraday nodded. Xan scowled at the man but didn't say anything.

Both father and son took a sip of the drink placed in front of them, but Xan didn't touch hers.

"It's rude not to drink what your host has offered you." Vires informed coldly. Xan just held her head up high.

"It's also rude to interrupt a celebration, you pampered brat." Xan shot back in a regal tone.

"You are here in the Bardus castle, you should treat us with respect." the prince hissed, unhappy with her comment.

"I am here in a Bardus castle, but I am a Gratis woman. You're insignificant castle could burn to the ground for all I care, and I'd still be a Gratis woman. Nothing will change that."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Vires growled.

"Vires, let her impoliteness go. She is from a different kingdom after all. She doesn't know how to act in a place civilized like this." Faraday stated, then turned to look at Xan.

"Princess, let me get to the point of this get together." he smiled. It was suppose to be a kind smile, but it didn't look like one. It was more scheming then kind.

"We _will _be taking your people back and you _will _abide under our laws. If not, we will launch another war. So, what will it be?"

Xan was shocked by the statement. Faraday wanted to enslave them again. She couldn't let that happen! All of her people had worked to get freedom and once again Faraday was trying to take it away!

Xan fought to keep her anger back. She held her head up and informed,

"That is not my choice to make. My mother is still alive, and she has the right to make the final decision. I will inform you today to let you know our response." Xan stated and rose from the table. Vires stood as well, as Faraday stayed seated.

"How do we know that you will tell us of your decision?" he questioned.

"Because if you don't have a respond from us by tomorrow you'll attack us anyway, I'm not stupid." she stated, and walked off the grounds.

"Lieutenant." Faraday called and a solder was next to him quickly.

"Yes sir."

"Give the young princess a horse so she can get to her kingdom faster." Faraday stated and the man bowed and ran off to do so.

"Interesting girl, isn't she." Faraday chuckled and Vires shook his head.

"More like an uncivilized child."


End file.
